Many designs of dosing devices of this kind are known from the prior art. They are used for administering powdery or liquid active substances in areas such as cosmetics or pharmacy. In one known type of dosing device, as is described in DE 2854841 C2, a medium reservoir is provided in which the medium to be dispensed is stored until the time of a dispensing operation. During the dispensing operation, the medium is conveyed from the medium reservoir by an electrically driven delivery means and can be dispensed through an applicator into an environment of the dosing device. To ensure precise dosing of the dispensed medium, a control unit is provided which acts on the delivery means and can control the dispensing of the medium. To operate the control unit and the delivery means, an electrical energy store is provided on the dosing device.
The object of the invention is to make available a dosing device of the type mentioned at the outset which can be produced particularly economically and can be operated particularly economically.
This object is achieved by the fact that the delivery means, medium reservoir and applicator, on the one hand, and the control unit and electrical energy store, on the other, are accommodated respectively in separate structural units, and by the fact that guide means are provided for fitting the structural units one into the other, said guide means having an electromechanical interface for coupling and/or uncoupling relative to the control unit and/or energy store without using tools. By integrating all the medium-conveying components, such as delivery means, medium reservoir and applicator in one common structural unit, it is possible to do without complicated coupling and/or sealing measures between the medium-conveying components such as delivery means, medium reservoir and applicator. By integrating the control unit and the energy store in a second structural unit, the number of electrical contacts and the line length of electrical connections can be kept to a minimum. In this way, a simpler, more reliable and less expensive design of the dosing device is possible. The guide means can be of a linear or non-linear configuration. The guide means preferably have rectilinear guides or curved guides with or without inclination. On account of the guide means and the electromechanical interface, a connection can be particularly easily established between the structural units. The guide means provide a user with assistance when assembling and mechanically locking the structural units. By contrast, the electromechanical interface affords the necessary electrical contacts between the structural units. The user therefore only has to couple the structural units together to immediately obtain, without any further measures, an operational dosing device.
In one embodiment of the invention, the guide means have mutually corresponding linear guide profiles on both structural units. When coupling the structural units together, these linear guide profiles limit a movement clearance between the structural units to a linear assembly movement and thus ensure correct connection of the structural units via the electromechanical interface. The linear assembly movement permits particularly simple and user-friendly coupling and uncoupling of the structural units.
In a further embodiment of the invention, one structural unit is provided with a receiving chamber which is open towards one end and into which a corresponding plug-in portion of the other structural unit can be introduced. In this way, the guide means, locking means and sensitive parts of the electromechanical interface can be accommodated in a protected position in the receiving chamber. The corresponding plug-in portion can be limited to simple and robust geometries and is thus safer when handled by the user.
In a further embodiment of the invention, electrical contact surfaces of the electromechanical interface are provided in the area of the receiving chamber and of the plug-in portion. When operatively connected to corresponding contact tongues, the contact surfaces permit transmission of electrical signals between the structural units after the plug-in portion has been fitted into the receiving chamber, without special measures having to be taken by the user to do this.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the receiving chamber and the plug-in portion at least in some sections delimit an air channel for a defined delivery of air to the applicator. The air channel serves to provide a defined stream of air which is taken from the environment and, depending on the requirements of the medium-dispensing operation, is conveyed as a laminar or turbulent flow through the dosing device and into the applicator. The stream of air is in this case generated in particular by an inhalation movement on the part of the user between whose lips an applicator designed as a mouthpiece is firmly held. The underpressure produced during the inhalation movement causes air to flow along the air guidance means through the mouthpiece, in particular into the pharynx, bronchi or lungs of the user. With the defined stream of air, it is possible to achieve a particularly advantageous dosing of the medium to be dispensed.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the applicator is mounted on the structural unit so as to be movable between a rest position and a dispensing position. In the rest position, a closure means can protect the applicator against contamination by microbes or particles of dirt. By moving the applicator into the dispensing position, an applicator opening is freed and medium can be dispensed. The movable arrangement means that the user can select a comfortable and advantageous orientation of the applicator and thus safely dispense the medium.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the control unit has sensor means for detecting an end position of the applicator, and the delivery means can be set by the control unit in such a way that, in the dispensing position of the applicator, a stream of medium is released and, in the rest position of the applicator, the stream of medium is held back. The sensor means, which transmit a sensor signal concerning a position of the applicator to the control unit, it is possible to prevent medium from being dispensed when the applicator is in the rest position. Particularly if a closure means is present, it is thus possible to avoid incorrect dosing which could lead to undesired consequences such as damage to the dosing device or accumulation of active substances, contained in the medium, in the applicator.
In a further embodiment of the invention, catch means are provided between the two structural units and, depending on the position of the movable applicator, can be moved into a release position or into a locking position. The catch means prevent undesired unlocking of the structural units and thus contribute to correct functioning of the dosing device. To unlock the structural units, the user has to move the applicator from the locked position, which can also cover quite a large locking range, to a release position. In one advantageous embodiment of the dosing device, the applicator is provided with pretensioning means which necessitate application of force by the user in order to unlock the structural units.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the catch means have mechanical forced guidance means which, in the end positions of the applicator, lock the two structural units together and, in at least one intermediate position of the applicator, release the structural units for separating them from one another. In this way it is possible to obtain a structurally simple design of the catch means, and in which simple operation is also ensured. The forced guidance means permit separation of the structural units preferably only in an exactly defined intermediate position of the applicator, whereas in all other positions of the applicator, including the end positions, no separation of the structural units is possible.
In a further embodiment of the invention, a dispensing area of the applicator is provided with, in particular, antimicrobial active substances for reducing the number of microorganisms. The active substances are provided to avoid contamination and fouling of medium-conveying surfaces in the applicator and they serve to reduce associated risks for the person using the dosing device. The active substances are in particular antimicrobial and can be provided on or in the medium-conveying surfaces of the applicator, especially by application or incorporation of copper-containing or silver-containing substances. Alternatively, the active substances can also be formed by a sponge arrangement which takes up residual droplets at the outlet opening of the applicator and can thus prevent or at least reduce contamination.